Smog Shown to Increase Emphysema as Much as Smoking a Pack a Day
Health researchers report air pollution is causing lung diseases – particularly emphysema – to occur on a massive scale, an acceleration made worse by climate change.
The study, published Tuesday in JAMA, examined data collected over nearly two decades on the effects of air pollution in several key areas, including Chicago; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Baltimore; Los Angeles; St. Paul, Minnesota; and New York.. The research involved roughly 7,000 people of widely varying ethnic and health makeups.
The study found that in areas where air pollution is the worst, its effect on the health of residents is readily apparent. The researchers focused on air pollution’s relationship with emphysema, a lung condition that damages the inner lung tissue to a point that it causes severe respiratory challenges and increases the risk of death. Symptoms of emphysema include wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.
They found a direct link between poor air quality and emphysema, and in the study suggest exposure to ozone levels of just 3 parts per billion higher than another location increases the risk of emphysema about as much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day for 29 years.
https://www.courthousenews.com/smog-shown-to-increase-emphysema-as-much-as-smoking-a-pack-a-day/
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